1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system including an image reading apparatus, which optically reads an image illustrated in an original and generates image data of the read original, and an information terminal apparatus connected to a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image reading apparatus connected to a network has a so-called scanner function, which transmits data (hereinafter referred to as scan data, image data, or original data) generated by reading an original to an information terminal apparatus such as a personal computer (PC).
The scanner function includes a pull scan function and a push scan function. The pull scan function is a function that activates a scanner function of an image reading apparatus (i.e., a server) by an operation of an information terminal apparatus side (i.e., a client) and transmits scan data from the image reading apparatus to the image terminal apparatus.
The push scan function is a function that determines an information terminal apparatus (a client) to which scan data is to be transmitted through an operation of an image reading apparatus (a server) side and transmits scan data to the information terminal apparatus. Several techniques about the push scan function are discussed.
In the present invention, a push scan method, in which an event for informing a start desire of a scan operation from a server to a client is notified and a pull scan from the client based on the notification is performed, will be described.
Generally, in a network system including a plurality of clients and a server and communication between a certain client and the server is not occupied, there are two methods for recognizing an event notification from the server to a certain client.
One is a method in which the client performs polling to the server (a polling type push scan). That is, in a system including PCs (clients) and a multifunction peripheral (MFP) (a server), to detect an occurrence of an event in the MFP, each PC performs polling to the MFP.
More specifically, the PC issues a polling request to the MFP using user the datagram protocol (UDP) communication. The MFP stores list information of the PCs with which the MFP is communicating.
When a polling request event is generated from the PC, the MFP notifies the occurrence of the event to the PC (an event target) as a polling response thereto.
Consequently, the PC recognizes the event notification and requests the MFP to provide a service using transmission control protocol (TCP) communication. The technique is discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-219956.
The technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-219956 is the polling type push scan. Identification information such as a PC name and a log-on user name as destination information of scan data are included in various request packet frames transmitted from a client to a server. This method is complicated in operation, but the server can easily acquire client information.
The other is a method in which a server notifies all or a specific one of clients of an occurrence of an event (an event type push scan). That is, in a system including PCs as clients and an MFP as a server, the MFP notifies the PC of the occurrence of the event.
More specifically, the MFP itself notifies all PCs on a network of the occurrence of the event by using broadcasting based on UDP communication. Thereafter, a corresponding PC alone recognizes the notification of the event, and requests the MFP to provide a service using TCP communication.
Currently, in the event type push scan, the server commonly provides clients with services using a web service technique. In the web service technique, the server provides clients with files described in a web services description language (WSDL) using a simple object access protocol (SOAP).
The client interprets the service description information and recognizes which service can be provided from the server or in which procedure and with which protocol a service is provided.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-034923 discusses a technique for managing destination information of image data in the push scan of a web-service (WS) scanner system.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-034923, in the event type push scan, when communication attempted based on destination information stored in an image reading apparatus fails, the destination information is invalidated.
However, unlike the polling type push scan discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-219956, in the event type push scan discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-034923, client information, which can be recognized by the server, is subjected to the limitation of a protocol.
For example, in the push scan (hereinafter, referred to as a WSD push scan) of a web services on devices (WSD) scan service, which is a protocol of a WINDOWS (registered trademark) VISTA, client PC information that can be recognized by the MFP as the server is only a PC name.
For this reason, there is a problem in that a user who operates the MFP can select a PC name as a data destination but cannot confirm a log-on user name.
Therefore, if a first user operates the MFP to perform the push scan for a PC when a second user has logged on the PC, there was a problem in that scan data of the first user may be erroneously transmitted to the second user.